Some inkjet printers deposit drops of ink on a print substrate through an array of holes, also referred to as nozzles. In some printers, the ink is routed from an ink reservoir to the nozzles through a series of manifolds and chambers formed by stacking multiple plates into what is sometimes called a jet stack. Some printers attach the ink reservoir to the jet stack by using gaskets around ports from the reservoir to the jet stack. These are then compressed and the jet stack is clamped the stack in place using top and bottom clips and fasteners such as screws to form a joint.
Completed print heads have a stringent flatness requirement. The flatness of this joint depends upon the quality of the incoming parts in order to meet these requirements. The incoming parts subsequently have high tolerance requirements. This increases the costs of the print head as well as the likelihood of a system failure if the tolerances are not met.